Cornwall

Cornwall's population grew between the last two censuses. Data from the census also show there were changes in health, religion and work life.

The population passed half a million

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Cornwall increased by 6.6%, from just over 499,000 to 532,000.

The addition of just over 33,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Cornwall was home to, on average, 1.1 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was similar to the average across the South West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Cornwall

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Cornwall increased by two years, from 43 to 45 years.

This coastal area had a higher average age than the South West and remained older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 21,000 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 8,000.

About 15% of people in Cornwall are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South West and Cornwall by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Cornwall residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 10% to 6.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (79%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 66% in 2001. The percentage of Cornwall residents that described their health as fair decreased from 24% to 15%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across the South West. As a result, this area had the region’s third highest proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Cornwall decreased by 4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Cornwall, the South West and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Cornwall

The number of people in Cornwall that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 83,000 in 2001 to about 160,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 17% to 30% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the South West (from 17% to 30%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Cornwall that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 370,000 in 2001 to about 320,000 in 2011 (from 74% to 60%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 40,000 to about 45,000 (from 8.0% to 8.5%).

About 3,600 people (0.5%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from about 2,300 in 2001 (0.7%).

The population without a religion in Cornwall increased by 14 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South West and Cornwall by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing work life

The percentage of Cornwall residents that were unemployed remained close to 3.3% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in two (47%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 46% in 2001. The percentage of Cornwall residents that were self-employed increased from 12% to 14%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South West (from 2.6% in 2001 to 3.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment was lower than across the South West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were unemployed across local authority areas in the South West and the average across England, March 2011

Disability in Cornwall

The percentage of Cornwall residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.9% to 4.5% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.3%, while the percentage of Cornwall residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 89% to 88%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South West (from 3.0% in 2001 to 3.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across the South West

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South West and the average across England, March 2011

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